Encounters with the wonders of nature have a way of snapping everything into perspective and tamping down humanly worries and concerns. Too often we spend time absorbed and obsessed with working from the inside out, projecting ourselves into the world. But sometimes it's better to simply go the other way and let the beauty that exists on the outside infiltrate and influence the human spirit and direction. Pianist Dan Cray's second release on the Origin imprint, strongly informed by a year spent working and communing with nature in Big Sur, says as much.

There's a zen-like quality to much of what appears on Outside In, with patience and introspection often serving as the guiding hands of the music. Cray's own wistful "OdP (Bird Of Paradise)" and his interpretation of